Lerner Project Project 18 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019

Say hello to the Lerner Project! A sparkly new brand from wine industry vet Stu Lerner and 100-point winemaker Russell Bevan. While working as a major wood pallet vendor in the supply chain side of the wine industry, Stu Lerner took on many influential clients such as Silver Oak, the iconic Opus One, and his very first customer, Robert Mondavi himself. As his business and client list grew, Stu found himself with an all-access pass to the world of winemaking. If he had five or six sales calls in a day, he could visit five or six tasting rooms and quickly became a purveyor and collector alike. After forty successful years in Napa Valley and Sonoma County, it was only natural that Stu's attention would shift in a different, but related, direction. Nearing retirement in 2014, Stu’s wife, Karen, recalls him saying quite prophetically that “if I ever made a wine, it would have to be something I'd also want to buy myself” and before long, the search for a winemaker began. 

Winemaking is all about relationships and none is more important than that between winemaker and vineyard. Russell Bevan (Tench Vineyards, Bevan Cellars, PerUs, Institution) is proof of this. Named Wine Spectator's Winemaker of the Year back in 2015, few could have foreseen then just exactly how high his stardom would rise. Dazzling many with his hedonistic approach to Cabernet Sauvignon, Russell’s specialty is unabashedly pleasure-serving Napa Valley red wine and so it is no surprise that he caught Stu and Karen's attention early in their hunt for a collaborator. 

“I handpicked our winemaker. I've bought from all the top winemakers in Napa Valley and Russell Bevan was my choice because his palate and my palate seemed to fit best.” – Stu Lerner 

Russell oversees every facet of production of his world-class wines, beginning in the vineyard and ending at the blending table, with focused, intended decisions being executed at every step. The intimate level at which Russell knows each barrel of wine that is to be included in a given blend is only matched by the back-busting work of perennial intern-of-the-year and company namesake, Stu Lerner. Yes, the owner himself proudly scoops leaves from the sorting table, cleans the fruit bins, and sweeps the floors. So much for retirement! 

Aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak, this debut wine adds an enjoy-early offering to the already stellar Lerner lineup. Select barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon from the boastful Tench Vineyard in Oakville blended with hefty dollops of Cabernet Franc and Merlot from the Sugarloaf Ranch in the eastern foothills of the Vaca Mountains. Known for its red, volcanic soils, Tench Vineyard offers up concentrated Cabernet with an abundance of pure dark fruit flavors, fine tannins, and an unmistakable intensity. Sugarloaf Ranch Merlot softens the blend, contributing to the plush, velvety mouthfeel while Cabernet Franc brings spicy, mineral-driven red fruit characters that contribute a refreshing lift to the juicy, extended finish.